Will a new wireless network card enhance my internet speed?

Question

I have a laptop with a built in wireless card. I receive wireless from my building, however the signal is very slow. Would a new wireless card improve the speed?

Answer 1

maybe, but first see if there is an antenna port on your laptop. A WiFi antenna really helps get a stronger signal. A new card with an antenna will also do the trick.

Answer 2

Only if you have a built in B chip and the building is running G protocol, would you benefit. In a building network, if the provider is not running enough bandwidth on the router to accommodate several users, everyones speed will suffer, especially if a couple of users are hogging the net with large stream downloads. Once they have the bandwidth, it is locked out from other users in a shared system.

Answer 3

If your signal is weak, no. The only way is to get closer to the access point, or alternatively use a wireless range extender between your access point and the computer.

Answer 4

Not likely.



You need to upgrade both the wireless access point (the gizmo putting out the wireless signal) and the wireless card in the laptop.



Assuming your current access point is 802.11G, upgrading your card to the latest 802.11N standard will buy you nothing. The 802.11N card will operate in 802.11G mode.

Answer 5

No, but a repeater access point in your building would work.